IV. FINEST STATUES OF THE ROMAN PERIOD, FROM AUGUSTUS TO HADRIAN.

The statuary art of Roman times possesses much less artistic interest than in the more purely Greek periods; and the best specimens preserved in the Museums of Europe are without doubt either copies from fine Greek originals or the separate studies of Greek artists resident in Rome, or in other great cities of the empire. As such they have their value in the general history of art, while in many cases they also preserve to us representations of statues and earlier works, which would have otherwise perished and been wholly lost

to us.

Of these, the first we shall notice, as undoubtedly a work of the best Roman period, is a repetition of the celebrated VENUS OF THE CAPITOL, presented by King William IV. in 1834. The goddess appears to be about to enter the bath, her drapery being thrown on a vase which stands by her side; her hair is gathered in a double knot upon her head, and is tied behind her neck, a small portion of it falling upon her shoulders. The height of the figure is about 6 feet 3 inches.

We will take next T. 16, another statue of Venus entirely naked, and with her head inclined to the right, and her body slightly bending forwards. The drapery which covered her appears to have been just laid aside, but is kept from falling by being confined between her lower limbs. Her hair is short, and bound round by several narrow fillets; and her feet are shod with sandals. Both arms are modern, and their present position doubtful. They were restored under the superintendence of Mr. Gavin Hamilton, who imagined that the figure anciently held a mirror in the left hand. As there is a slight projection on the right side of the chin, it has been supposed by others that this statue represents Angerona, the goddess of Silence, and that the forefinger of the right hand has been raised to the chin, as if in the attitude of imposing silence. The head was originally broken off, but has been rightly attached to the figure. This statue was found in 1775, in an ancient bath at Ostia. Like the preceding, it therefore probably denotes the preparation of Venus for the bath.

The next we take is a statue, T. 44, which has been called a Caryatid, but is more correctly a Canephora. It is a female statue, larger than life, with a modius upon its head. Like the Canephora in the Elgin Room, it has probably been one of the supports of the portico of an ancient building. The drapery, which is very simple,

descends to the feet, and is not fastened round the waist by any zone or girdle. On each side the head, below the modius, is a hole to which some metallic ornament has been attached—perhaps a narrow diadem. The modius itself is decorated with the honeysuckle ornament, and with a row of detached flowers. When we compare this figure with the Canephora of the Elgin Room, we see how much of the simple grandeur of the original type has been lost in the Roman copy. This statue is nearly entire. The lower right arm, left foot, and a small portion of the upper part of the modius have, however, been restored. It was found, with another nearly similar to it, in the reign of Sixtus V., among some ancient ruins in the Villa Strozzi, situated on the Appian road, about a mile and a half beyond the tomb of Cæcilia Metella. It was procured by Mr. Towneley in 1786.

T. 32 is a statue of the Goddess Fortune, with a modius on her head, and a rudder in her right hand, the lower part of which rests on a globe, and her left arm supporting a cornucopiæ filled with corn and fruit of various kinds. The rudder resting on the globe may be regarded as the symbol of the universal dominion of Fortune over the affairs of this world. Fortune was one of the most common of the Deities of ancient Rome, no less than 25 temples having been erected to her in that city. Among the Greeks, though early an object of worship, she does not appear to have been represented in either bronze or marble-at least in the pure Greek times. This statue was found by Mr. Gavin Hamilton, a few miles from Rome.

T. 12* is a very spirited statue of Artemis, in her character of huntress, apparently in the act of following the chase-her drapery, which is flying backward, demonstrating that she is moving rapidly against the wind. By comparing this figure with others still extant, it seems most probable that this statue of Artemis originally represented her holding the bow in the left hand, and with the right hand drawing an arrow from a quiver, which is fastened behind her shoulder. Such is the action of the Artemis formerly in the Villa Pamphili, and now in the Vatican, and of a celebrated statue belonging to the Florentine collection. The place where the quiver was attached is still very perceptible, as well as the holes and the metal whereby it was fastened to the marble.

The whole of the right arm, the left from the elbow downwardsboth feet, and a portion of the right leg extending nearly as high as the knee, are modern; and the restorer of the statue has made the figure appear as if it was hurling a spear.

The dress which Artemis wears is that usually appropriated to her

when in her character of huntress. The depth to which the drapery has been cut is remarkable.

This statue was found in 1772, near La Storta, about eight miles from Rome, on the road leading to Florence, on the same spot where a group we shall presently describe, called Bacchus and Ampelus, was discovered.

The next statue we shall notice is a rather short figure of Isis, T. 11, wearing in front of her diadem a disk or globe, placed between two serpents, and surmounted with ears of corn. She wears long drapery, which leaves only her feet visible. The name Ceres has sometimes been given to this statue; but as the hands and other parts of similar figures are constantly restored, we cannot rely on this nomenclature. On the genuine Egyptian statues, the objects round the disk on the head are feathers; and it is not improbable that in this figure the same may have been intended, if, indeed, the sculptor has not designedly modified the forms, so as to make the true representation of Isis resemble the usual type of Ceres. From the account of Diodorus, it would seem that in his time the characters of Ceres and Isis were scarcely distinguishable, and this statue itself probably belongs to the time of Hadrian, or a little later, at which period the distinct representations of individual deities were much obliterated. Hadrian appears to have given some countenance to the worship of Isis, which, under the earlier Emperors, had been discouraged.

The neck of this figure has been broken, and the end of the nose restored. It was originally preserved in the Macerani Palace at Rome.

The next statue we shall notice is one of Libera, T. 22, or the female Bacchus, crowned with a wreath of ivy. Her hair is parted along the top of her head, and is gathered into a knot behind. A wreath of ivy leaves and berries encircles the head. Her dress is a tunic of fine material, furnished with ample sleeves; and over this is a peplus of stronger texture, doubled at the shoulder, where it is fastened. A belt, passing over the right shoulder and round the left side of the waist, supports this garment, and gives a graceful variety to its folds. At her right foot is a panther; in her left hand a bunch of grapes; and in her right a staff, which rests upon her shoulder. It has been supposed, from the grave composure of this figure, that it is intended to represent Ariadne. This statue has been slightly restored. The nose and both arms are partially modern. The staff over the shoulders was probably originally a thyrsus. It was found by Mr. Gavin Hamilton in 1776, at Roma Vecchia, a few miles from Rome, on the road to Frascati.